Psalm 129: A fierce enemy met by a faithful God

Psalm 129: A song of accents. Unattributed in authorship but all powerful in inspiration.

Sung and practiced by God’s people as they traveled to worship.

Have you ever found yourself in a battle or with an issue that just seems unrelenting?

A chronic battle?

fight after fight?

call after call?

jab after jab?

worry after worry?

illness after illness?

bad news after bad news?

thought after thought?

Issue after issue?

If you could answer “yes” that puts you in the same category as the rest of humanity and more specifically the Children of Israel in Psalm 129

Psalm 129 “A Song of degrees.

1 Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth, May Israel now say: 2 Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth: Yet they have not prevailed against me.

3 The plowers plowed upon my back: They made long their furrows.

4 The Lord is righteous: He hath cut asunder the cords of the wicked. 5 Let them all be confounded and turned back That hate Zion. 6 Let them be as the grass upon the housetops, Which withereth afore it groweth up: 7 Wherewith the mower filleth not his hand; Nor he that bindeth sheaves his bosom.

8 Neither do they which go by say, The blessing of the Lord be upon you: We bless you in the name of the Lord.”

The Fight is Real (1-2)

The Enemy: “They”, “Many a time”

In this fight the enemy was real and plenteous

In the case of Israel: Egyptians, Canaanites, Philistines, Syrians, Assyrians, Babylon, Edomites

A lot

Realize the reality of the enemy

Yes quite literally for them

Yes for you too

See we too are in a battle

Eph 6:12

Heb 12 4

With plenteous enemies

Sinful World: Jas 4:4

Sinful Will 1 Peter 2:11

Satans Working 1 Peter 5:8

Like Isreal we can say: “I don’t know how many times”, “I don’t know who”

Their Endurance “From my youth”

Israel had literally been attacked from their youth

Egypt Hosea 2 15

Notice the way and manner of attack mentioned here

Youth: A point of vulnerability, weakness, and inexperience (Egypt: A place they went for a break became a place of bondage)

The enemy does not play fair

From: This indicates a length to the battle

A war of attrition

Seeming never ending

The Excruciating pain “afflicted”

War hurts

In this spiritual war theres pain

Sin hurts: Genesis 3

A heavy heart: Proverbs 12:25

In just trying to do right: Hebrews 11:25-26

It is in all of this sadness and struggle the right question of can we even win seems very logical.

The answer is addressed in the latter part of verse 2 “Yet they prevailed not”

The great part about the odds being so against them/us is that giving credit for the victory is made much easier

US Captain Steve Rogers “Weak men know the value of strength”

Where is this victory?

The Faithful One is Righteous (Verse 4)

The Teacher’s Bible Commentary The Pledge of Israel’s Survival (Psalm 129)

Israel had survived every crisis. There was a single, all sufficient explanation. “The Lord is righteous”

The Ruler “The Lord”

This Title can seem small but is so important!

It’s not just God’s name but its an important aspect of who He is!

Ex 6:2–3

Deliverer

Covenant Keeper

Rest in this title of God!

Psalm 97:9

Psalm 102 12

Victory was from the Lord!

The Righteous

Righteousness and winning wars don’t seem like they'd align too often but it is amazing how God does it

The LORD is righteous: God promised to preserve His covenant people of Israel, and His faithfulness in delivering them is a demonstration of His righteousness. The fact that the LORD is righteous means He has and will keep His promises to Israel.

Since he is a righteous promise keeper thus it means he’ll continue to protect

He is a promise keeper!

Take heart in this!

Phil 1:6

1 Thes 5 24

The Rescuer “He hath cut”

Notice who did it?

He- Not us, Not people, Just God

The deliverance is totally of God!

For Israel that was the Lord bringing Victory

For us it’d be the victory the Lord brings through Jesus

Col 2 15

John 16 33

After this claim and statement the Psalmist issues a foreboding hope. Something they were hoping for and looking to happen to these enemies

The Foreboding Request for the unrepentant (5-8)

Notice that this audience spoken over is: things who are against Zion.

Zion- A location near the Old City of Jerusalem. Comes to signify the city itself and the eschatological hope of God’s dwelling with His people.

God his: worship, will, and dwelling

Is 8:18

Psalm 76:2

Flight “(ashamed) confounded and turned back”

Broken purposes

A prayer that the wickedness and plans of the enemies won’t work

Turn their plans.

Good out of evil

Victory out of defeat

Beauty from ashes

Luke 1:72–74

Fruitlessness

Like Grass will whither so will everything that is agains God

Evil,Sin, Wickedness will be destroyed

The things in our life that are anti-God are fruitless

Famine

The psalmist prayed that these enemies of Israel would not enjoy the blessing of the LORD upon them.

He prayed that the pleasant picture of happy harvest work found in Ruth 2:4 would never be fulfilled for these enemies of Israel.

We bless you in the name of the LORD

The blessing of God is the greatest thing any human life can enjoy, giving goodness to every aspect of life. The psalmist prayed that none of this goodness would be given to those who hated Jerusalem and Israel.

Sin breaks blessing aka a curse

Gal 3:10

Jesus ends and takes that curse for those that turn to him

Ga 3:13–14